Special Report

Jewish Renaissance and Renewal in Israel

A report of the Dorot and Nathan Cummings Foundations - Page 2 of 4

AUTHOR’S introduction

Research for this report took place in two stages. The first occurred in the summer of 2000, when the Peace Process was alive and the prospects for peace seemed high. The second stage took place after the violence began on September 28^th. I had started a sabbatical in New York, planned before life in Israel shifted so dramatically, and returned to conduct further research in the wake of so many changes.

Coming back to Israel after being away for close to three months, I was amazed at how well Israelis cope with difficult times. While so many people’s lives have been affected by the new violence, and political pessimism was prevailing, I was astonished to see the extent to which life has returned to normal–or at least to some degree of functionality. This ability of Israelis to manage their lives within a crisis, and to be involved in multiple agendas at the same time, is a great source of strength. It assures continuity of trends and developments identified as significant prior to September 28^th .

This is the second report on Jewish pluralism in Israel funded by the Dorot and Nathan Cummings Foundations. The first, completed in 1996, described the early stirrings of Jewish revitalization. It saw in them the potential for a movement of Jewish renewal and growth, which it called a "Jewish renaissance" in Israel. Now that movement is a reality.

Five years ago, Israelis were only beginning to invest their intellectual, spiritual and organizational resources in creating new venues for exploring and expressing their Jewishness. Diverse groups and institutions were forming, hoping to infuse Israeli society with attractive, Jewish alternatives. Some were strong financially and politically, while others were struggling for recognition and support.

Five years later, they have succeeded. Jewish diversity is evident in many sectors of Israeli society, in both intellectual and popular culture. In 1998, with the help of funders from the United States wishing to advance Jewish pluralism, a group of active players created a new organization "Panim: for Jewish Renaissance in Israel." To date, Panim has identified close to 100 pluralistic Jewish organizations around the country providing services to many different constituencies.

The intervening years have seen momentous changes in Israel’s political, social, economic and cultural spheres. The tragic assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 shook all of Israel. For many Israelis, it crystallized the need for change. They began to question the exclusively Orthodox definition of Israeli Judaism, and the Orthodox establishment’s political and legal control over the personal status and life cycle rituals of all Jews.

From the outset, some important assumptions should be made explicit. This report uses Israeli voices to frame the issues and is careful to distinguish Israeli from American categorizations of Jewish life. Also, it describes the positive signs of renewal and growth, and does not analyze the negative forces of institutional discrimination and legal obstacles that have discouraged Jewish diversity in the past.

Of course, obstacles to pluralism do exist. Some are endemic to Israeli society, although there are signs that even these may be changing. There are ideological objections to Jewish revitalization from both the Orthodox right and the secular left. Many Israelis are not even aware that a Jewish renaissance is occurring in their country, while others identify with Jewish renewal, but may not favor directions set forth by the coalition represented in Panim.

Still, as this report shows, there is reason for Jews who care about Jewish pluralism everywhere to take part in the work of revitalizing Judaism in Israel. Both Israel and the Diaspora stand to gain from the Jewish renaissance. The Diaspora Jewish experience is an important model for Jews in Israel seeking change. They find inspiration in the Diaspora’s diversity, and look to its many, vital groups for expertise and advice. As Jewish alternatives develop and flourish in Israel, these new "Israeli" expressions of Judaism will also renew and replenish the Diaspora, bringing community and spiritual meaning to Jewish life in Israel and abroad.

Elan Ezrachi, January 2001

PART I:

SIGNS OF RENAISSANCE
BACKDROP: THE CONTEXT FOR JEWISH DIVERSITY

Several momentous political — cultural events, as well as social and economic trends, dramatically altered Israel during the second half of the 1990s. There was a new diversity in civil society. The face of Israel quite literally changed with the arrival of Jews from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, and foreign laborers from all over the globe. Sephardi Jews, long invisible and underrepresented in the political sphere, gained visibility and a stronger voice. Signs of American culture were suddenly everywhere. Israel celebrated its 50th anniversary, and embarked on a robust debate about the state’s future character and national identity. In addition, the peace process encouraged Israelis to imagine stability and prosperity well into the future.

No one event, however, shook Israel so much as the tragic assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995. It brought the existing polarization between Orthodox and secular Jews into focus, and crystallized the need for change. In particular, many Israelis began to question the exclusively Orthodox definition of Israeli Judaism, and the Orthodox establishment’s political and legal control over Jewish identity.

Although the assassination was a political act aimed at stopping the course of the peace process, it represented a war of ideology and symbols far beyond the political nature of the act itself. The assassin was a product of mainstream Orthodox education, acting in the name of the Torah. His victim was a symbol of a generation of secular Israelis, dedicated to bringing a peaceful solution to the Middle East.

In an essay called "Jewish Identities in Post-Rabin Israel," Yossi Klein Halevi wrote: "The nightmare scenario for the state of Jewish identity in Israel is of a schizophrenic people divided into two irreconcilable camps: one secular and democratic, perceiving little of value in Judaism, the other traditionalist and xenophobic, perceiving little of value outside Judaism." Seen that way, Klein Halevi adds, "the assassination was primarily a cultural rather than a political event".

At the same time, global trends have affected the status of Jewish pluralism in Israel. Yaron Ezrahi, professor Political Science at Hebrew University, notes that a central force no longer controls Jewish identity. Demographic changes, trends toward globalization and a decline in state control of the media have whittled away central control, so that Jewish identity is now more spontaneous and without a normative basis. He adds that Israelis are "less intimidated by establishments" in determining their Jewish expressions.

While Jewish revitalization would have occurred without the Rabin assassination, the event intensified some processes. A new atmosphere prevailed. People sought solace in community, and wanted to heal the rifts in society. There was a wide range of public events, like the sit-in vigils of thousands of teens that gathered in town squares and around Rabin’s assassination site. Themes of tolerance, civility and the democratic process were widely-examined and discussed, in the hope that political disputes would never be resolved again through violence.

It is with this backdrop that we come to survey the Jewish renaissance and renewal scene in Israel in the late 1990s.

THE "MODERN ORTHODOX" COMMUNITY: OPENNESS, INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION, AND HALAKHA

A growing group of Orthodox Jews within the Religious Zionist, or "Modern Orthodox" community, embraced a new openness in the late 1990s. They began to engage more directly in modern Israeli life, and to alter some patterns of their Jewish observance. (This group is known as the "Modern Orthodox" community to distinguish it from the ultra Orthodox world.) Signs of change in this community include: the rapid growth of women’s study programs, the formation of new journals to explore religious themes, and the emergence of personal forms of religious practice--like meditation and music--alongside traditional prayer, and, generally, a greater comfort and familiarity with secular Israeli life. It is important to note, however, that this recent openness to secular life does not necessarily extend to other segments of the Jewish community, for example the Reform and Conservative movements.

Leaders in the Religious Zionist camp were shocked by the Rabin assassination. They began a serious process of soul-searching. Their goal was to prevent the creation of any other Yigal Amirs. They faced the challenge of religious democracy in an Orthodox world, and called for more freedom, particularly in the religious educational system. Several program initiatives were launched in order to infuse the community with democratic values, focusing on the education system.

In addition, segments of the Orthodox community sought change that went beyond educational reform, and began a process that delved into the fundamentals of the halakhic way of Jewish life. Dov Berkowitz, affiliated with the Mila Institute in Jerusalem, sees Orthodox Jews, as individuals and in small groups, seeking "a new, personal religious language" and creating venues for individual religious expression. The outcome of this activity, he predicts, will be "a pluralism of individual, spiritual expression" quite apart from political and institutional dictates .

Another observer of the Orthodox religious community is Yair Sheleg, a journalist for the daily Ha’aretz..Sheleg, himself a product of the Religious Zionist camp, went through his own reflective process together with his wife Bambi Sheleg, a columnist in the daily Ma’ariv. The Shelegs are public examples of Orthodox Jews searching for a different accommodation with secular Israel, and for greater individuality within halakha. Yair Sheleg recently published a book titled: "The New Religious" (Hadatiyim Hachadashim, Sheleg 2000). Ms. Sheleg writes often about seekers within Orthodoxy.

Yair Sheleg attributes new developments within Orthodoxy to the gradual process of secularization and exposure to modern life that is taking place in Israel. His basic argument is that the very success of the Orthodox in establishing itself in modern Israel necessitated a broad exposure to modern secular life. Such exposure left irreversible marks, and has sparked new behaviors in the Modern Orthodox community. For example, many Orthodox Israelis have adopted secular leisure-time activities such as going to the movies, sitting in pubs and cafes, and travelling abroad. Also, the "new religious", to use Sheleg’s phrase, are beginning to construct their religiosity in more intimate ways, consciously avoiding extremes. For example, mixed dancing has reappeared at wedding ceremonies, and some Orthodox women are experimenting with removing their head covering. Also, some Orthodox are choosing not to turn to rabbinical authorities for counsel, and to seek greater personal meaning in their religious lives.

Two dramatic indications of change in the Modern Orthodox world are the exciting growth of women’s studies programs and the impact of new age spiritual influences on the lives of young Orthodox Israelis.

The role of women in the Modern Orthodox community is changing all over Israel . There are thousands of young women currently immersed in Biblical and Talmudic learning on a very high level. Some of these programs include prayer groups and celebrations of women’s rituals. This study paves the way for women’s leadership, scholarship, and greater participation in public religious life. Indeed more and more Orthodox women are seeking leadership roles in rabbinical courts, educational institutions and political frameworks.

The impact of new-age spiritual influences on the lives of young Orthodox Israelis is subtle but significant. In many places, worshippers are trying to make synagogue prayer more spiritual and less mechanical, adding singing and meditation to routine practice. Ha’aretz published a special feature on the eve of the High Holidays of 2000 that described how groups of young Orthodox Israelis are planning to bring meditation, dance and alternative lifestyles into their High Holiday observances, together with the traditional rituals. Some of these experiments are subjects of discussion in journals created recently by Modern Orthodox authors to explore issues of spirituality. Eretz Aheret is a new bi-monthly journal developed by Bambi Sheleg. It engages thinkers, writers, and artists in a thoughtful exploration of varieties of Judaism and Jewishness in Israel. Mitzraf: Thoughts about Israeli-Jewish Creativity is a magazine for educators and artists in the Modern Orthodox community to discuss and to analyze issues of Jewish creativity in that community.

Clearly, only a segment of the Orthodox community resonates with these changes. They do not emanate from the Orthodox rabbinate, but from a small, significant minority that is affecting change at a grass roots level. There is a political party, Meimad, whose supporters are involved in the trends discussed above, but it is a very small force in politics. Certainly, the growing Sephardi Orthodox movement, represented by the political party Shas, is concerned with spiritual renewal. It is a powerful religious, political and social force that provides meaning to thousands of Israelis. However, its fundamentalist ideology and disparagement of pluralism removes it from consideration as part of the Jewish renaissance.

The scope of these changes in the Orthodox community is difficult to assess, and it is early to predict their impact. Greater openness to secular Israel is a new and significant development, but it does not necessarily mean openness to other groups in the Jewish world, including the Reform and Conservative movements. So far, however, Israeli Modern Orthodoxy is playing an important role in revitalizing Jewish life in Israel

continued on page 3 of 4




	Jewish Renaissance and Renewal in Israel A report of the Dorot and Nathan Cummings Foundations - Page 2 of 4 AUTHOR’S introduction Research for this report took place in two stages. The first occurred in the summer of 2000, when the Peace Process was alive and the prospects for peace seemed high. The second stage took place after the violence began on September 28^th. I had started a sabbatical in New York, planned before life in Israel shifted so dramatically, and returned to conduct further research in the wake of so many changes. Coming back to Israel after being away for close to three months, I was amazed at how well Israelis cope with difficult times. While so many people’s lives have been affected by the new violence, and political pessimism was prevailing, I was astonished to see the extent to which life has returned to normal–or at least to some degree of functionality. This ability of Israelis to manage their lives within a crisis, and to be involved in multiple agendas at the same time, is a great source of strength. It assures continuity of trends and developments identified as significant prior to September 28^th . This is the second report on Jewish pluralism in Israel funded by the Dorot and Nathan Cummings Foundations. The first, completed in 1996, described the early stirrings of Jewish revitalization. It saw in them the potential for a movement of Jewish renewal and growth, which it called a "Jewish renaissance" in Israel. Now that movement is a reality. Five years ago, Israelis were only beginning to invest their intellectual, spiritual and organizational resources in creating new venues for exploring and expressing their Jewishness. Diverse groups and institutions were forming, hoping to infuse Israeli society with attractive, Jewish alternatives. Some were strong financially and politically, while others were struggling for recognition and support. Five years later, they have succeeded. Jewish diversity is evident in many sectors of Israeli society, in both intellectual and popular culture. In 1998, with the help of funders from the United States wishing to advance Jewish pluralism, a group of active players created a new organization "Panim: for Jewish Renaissance in Israel." To date, Panim has identified close to 100 pluralistic Jewish organizations around the country providing services to many different constituencies. The intervening years have seen momentous changes in Israel’s political, social, economic and cultural spheres. The tragic assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 shook all of Israel. For many Israelis, it crystallized the need for change. They began to question the exclusively Orthodox definition of Israeli Judaism, and the Orthodox establishment’s political and legal control over the personal status and life cycle rituals of all Jews. From the outset, some important assumptions should be made explicit. This report uses Israeli voices to frame the issues and is careful to distinguish Israeli from American categorizations of Jewish life. Also, it describes the positive signs of renewal and growth, and does not analyze the negative forces of institutional discrimination and legal obstacles that have discouraged Jewish diversity in the past. Of course, obstacles to pluralism do exist. Some are endemic to Israeli society, although there are signs that even these may be changing. There are ideological objections to Jewish revitalization from both the Orthodox right and the secular left. Many Israelis are not even aware that a Jewish renaissance is occurring in their country, while others identify with Jewish renewal, but may not favor directions set forth by the coalition represented in Panim. Still, as this report shows, there is reason for Jews who care about Jewish pluralism everywhere to take part in the work of revitalizing Judaism in Israel. Both Israel and the Diaspora stand to gain from the Jewish renaissance. The Diaspora Jewish experience is an important model for Jews in Israel seeking change. They find inspiration in the Diaspora’s diversity, and look to its many, vital groups for expertise and advice. As Jewish alternatives develop and flourish in Israel, these new "Israeli" expressions of Judaism will also renew and replenish the Diaspora, bringing community and spiritual meaning to Jewish life in Israel and abroad. Elan Ezrachi, January 2001 PART I: SIGNS OF RENAISSANCE BACKDROP: THE CONTEXT FOR JEWISH DIVERSITY Several momentous political — cultural events, as well as social and economic trends, dramatically altered Israel during the second half of the 1990s. There was a new diversity in civil society. The face of Israel quite literally changed with the arrival of Jews from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, and foreign laborers from all over the globe. Sephardi Jews, long invisible and underrepresented in the political sphere, gained visibility and a stronger voice. Signs of American culture were suddenly everywhere. Israel celebrated its 50th anniversary, and embarked on a robust debate about the state’s future character and national identity. In addition, the peace process encouraged Israelis to imagine stability and prosperity well into the future. No one event, however, shook Israel so much as the tragic assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995. It brought the existing polarization between Orthodox and secular Jews into focus, and crystallized the need for change. In particular, many Israelis began to question the exclusively Orthodox definition of Israeli Judaism, and the Orthodox establishment’s political and legal control over Jewish identity. Although the assassination was a political act aimed at stopping the course of the peace process, it represented a war of ideology and symbols far beyond the political nature of the act itself. The assassin was a product of mainstream Orthodox education, acting in the name of the Torah. His victim was a symbol of a generation of secular Israelis, dedicated to bringing a peaceful solution to the Middle East. In an essay called "Jewish Identities in Post-Rabin Israel," Yossi Klein Halevi wrote: "The nightmare scenario for the state of Jewish identity in Israel is of a schizophrenic people divided into two irreconcilable camps: one secular and democratic, perceiving little of value in Judaism, the other traditionalist and xenophobic, perceiving little of value outside Judaism." Seen that way, Klein Halevi adds, "the assassination was primarily a cultural rather than a political event". At the same time, global trends have affected the status of Jewish pluralism in Israel. Yaron Ezrahi, professor Political Science at Hebrew University, notes that a central force no longer controls Jewish identity. Demographic changes, trends toward globalization and a decline in state control of the media have whittled away central control, so that Jewish identity is now more spontaneous and without a normative basis. He adds that Israelis are "less intimidated by establishments" in determining their Jewish expressions. While Jewish revitalization would have occurred without the Rabin assassination, the event intensified some processes. A new atmosphere prevailed. People sought solace in community, and wanted to heal the rifts in society. There was a wide range of public events, like the sit-in vigils of thousands of teens that gathered in town squares and around Rabin’s assassination site. Themes of tolerance, civility and the democratic process were widely-examined and discussed, in the hope that political disputes would never be resolved again through violence. It is with this backdrop that we come to survey the Jewish renaissance and renewal scene in Israel in the late 1990s. THE "MODERN ORTHODOX" COMMUNITY: OPENNESS, INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION, AND HALAKHA A growing group of Orthodox Jews within the Religious Zionist, or "Modern Orthodox" community, embraced a new openness in the late 1990s. They began to engage more directly in modern Israeli life, and to alter some patterns of their Jewish observance. (This group is known as the "Modern Orthodox" community to distinguish it from the ultra Orthodox world.) Signs of change in this community include: the rapid growth of women’s study programs, the formation of new journals to explore religious themes, and the emergence of personal forms of religious practice--like meditation and music--alongside traditional prayer, and, generally, a greater comfort and familiarity with secular Israeli life. It is important to note, however, that this recent openness to secular life does not necessarily extend to other segments of the Jewish community, for example the Reform and Conservative movements. Leaders in the Religious Zionist camp were shocked by the Rabin assassination. They began a serious process of soul-searching. Their goal was to prevent the creation of any other Yigal Amirs. They faced the challenge of religious democracy in an Orthodox world, and called for more freedom, particularly in the religious educational system. Several program initiatives were launched in order to infuse the community with democratic values, focusing on the education system. In addition, segments of the Orthodox community sought change that went beyond educational reform, and began a process that delved into the fundamentals of the halakhic way of Jewish life. Dov Berkowitz, affiliated with the Mila Institute in Jerusalem, sees Orthodox Jews, as individuals and in small groups, seeking "a new, personal religious language" and creating venues for individual religious expression. The outcome of this activity, he predicts, will be "a pluralism of individual, spiritual expression" quite apart from political and institutional dictates . Another observer of the Orthodox religious community is Yair Sheleg, a journalist for the daily Ha’aretz..Sheleg, himself a product of the Religious Zionist camp, went through his own reflective process together with his wife Bambi Sheleg, a columnist in the daily Ma’ariv. The Shelegs are public examples of Orthodox Jews searching for a different accommodation with secular Israel, and for greater individuality within halakha. Yair Sheleg recently published a book titled: "The New Religious" (Hadatiyim Hachadashim, Sheleg 2000). Ms. Sheleg writes often about seekers within Orthodoxy. Yair Sheleg attributes new developments within Orthodoxy to the gradual process of secularization and exposure to modern life that is taking place in Israel. His basic argument is that the very success of the Orthodox in establishing itself in modern Israel necessitated a broad exposure to modern secular life. Such exposure left irreversible marks, and has sparked new behaviors in the Modern Orthodox community. For example, many Orthodox Israelis have adopted secular leisure-time activities such as going to the movies, sitting in pubs and cafes, and travelling abroad. Also, the "new religious", to use Sheleg’s phrase, are beginning to construct their religiosity in more intimate ways, consciously avoiding extremes. For example, mixed dancing has reappeared at wedding ceremonies, and some Orthodox women are experimenting with removing their head covering. Also, some Orthodox are choosing not to turn to rabbinical authorities for counsel, and to seek greater personal meaning in their religious lives. Two dramatic indications of change in the Modern Orthodox world are the exciting growth of women’s studies programs and the impact of new age spiritual influences on the lives of young Orthodox Israelis. The role of women in the Modern Orthodox community is changing all over Israel . There are thousands of young women currently immersed in Biblical and Talmudic learning on a very high level. Some of these programs include prayer groups and celebrations of women’s rituals. This study paves the way for women’s leadership, scholarship, and greater participation in public religious life. Indeed more and more Orthodox women are seeking leadership roles in rabbinical courts, educational institutions and political frameworks. The impact of new-age spiritual influences on the lives of young Orthodox Israelis is subtle but significant. In many places, worshippers are trying to make synagogue prayer more spiritual and less mechanical, adding singing and meditation to routine practice. Ha’aretz published a special feature on the eve of the High Holidays of 2000 that described how groups of young Orthodox Israelis are planning to bring meditation, dance and alternative lifestyles into their High Holiday observances, together with the traditional rituals. Some of these experiments are subjects of discussion in journals created recently by Modern Orthodox authors to explore issues of spirituality. Eretz Aheret is a new bi-monthly journal developed by Bambi Sheleg. It engages thinkers, writers, and artists in a thoughtful exploration of varieties of Judaism and Jewishness in Israel. Mitzraf: Thoughts about Israeli-Jewish Creativity is a magazine for educators and artists in the Modern Orthodox community to discuss and to analyze issues of Jewish creativity in that community. Clearly, only a segment of the Orthodox community resonates with these changes. They do not emanate from the Orthodox rabbinate, but from a small, significant minority that is affecting change at a grass roots level. There is a political party, Meimad, whose supporters are involved in the trends discussed above, but it is a very small force in politics. Certainly, the growing Sephardi Orthodox movement, represented by the political party Shas, is concerned with spiritual renewal. It is a powerful religious, political and social force that provides meaning to thousands of Israelis. However, its fundamentalist ideology and disparagement of pluralism removes it from consideration as part of the Jewish renaissance. The scope of these changes in the Orthodox community is difficult to assess, and it is early to predict their impact. Greater openness to secular Israel is a new and significant development, but it does not necessarily mean openness to other groups in the Jewish world, including the Reform and Conservative movements. So far, however, Israeli Modern Orthodoxy is playing an important role in revitalizing Jewish life in Israel continued on page 3 of 4						Page 1 of this report Page 2 Page 3 Page 4